Previous audits ordered by the ZMD — for the Science Center and the Missouri History Museum — revealed information that led to shakeups in leadership and changes in governance.

Thomas Campbell

Credit Provided by the Zoo Museum District

But ZMD board member Thomas Campbell told St. Louis Public Radio and the Beacon that the Art Museum audit appears to raise no red flags.

“The audit indicates what most people had assumed, which is the Art Museum is run in a very professional manner,” Campbell said.

ZMD board member Charles Valier had a similar reaction after an cursory view of the 195-page document.

“There are some minor items which can be improved and for which, hopefully, we will ask for improvement,” Valier said. “But the big picture is that it’s a well-run institution and that the taxpayers are getting value for their money.”

Charles Valier

Credit File photo | Nancy Fowler | St. Louis Public Radio

Among its findings, the audit noted that the museum's expansion, completed last year, came in at a final cost of $129.8 million, well under its budgeted $130.5 million.

A previous ZMD-ordered audit of the History Museum raised questions about issues including the purchase of land on Delmar Boulevard and the compensation of then-president Robert Archibald. Archibald's base salary was $375,000 and other benefits increased it by $45,000. After he left the museum in December 2012, Archibald was also owed more than $500,000 in unused vacation pay.